The Country Returns
On June 17th, 2021 the sun shined bright and strong. After a year of confinement, and months of the vaccination process, everyone was ready to get out.
There was something else coming out that day, or rather, reemerging: The Country. To those unfamiliar, The Country was a long-gone but much beloved lesbian bar nestled near the heart of Lexington on Lane Allen Road. It existed from 1978 and into the early 80s.
The Country reunion was a long time coming. Jonathan Coleman, Ph.D. co-founder and executive director of the Faulkner-Morgan Archive, learned about The Country’s existence through an interview with one of the original owners, Ellen Stewart. This was back in 2016.
“The Country came up again and again as I spoke to other LGBTQ Kentuckians,” he said. “It was pretty clear that we [the archives] had a massive dearth in stories from lesbian-identified Kentuckians. FMA wanted to correct that. One way of doing so was crafting this year-long intensive of collecting stories of lesbian women centered around The Country.”
So, it began. Coleman appointed Adriana Sisko project director. Sisko was responsible for reaching out to women who used to go to The Country and conducting interviews. The importance of the interview project and subsequent event were clear to both Coleman and Sisko.
“Lesbian history is more important than ever as the number of lesbian bars in the United States dwindles to a mere 21 establishments,” Sisko said. “There’s a significant archival gap when it comes to documentation of women’s queer communities and establishments, and The Country oral history project hopes to contribute to even out that disparity.”
In the early 80s, The Country’s ownership was passed on and the establishment was renamed The Hidden Door. After the name change, the bar started letting in more male patrons. The original patrons of The Country still frequented The Hidden Door, but attendance from those originals dwindled as time went on.
Lexington Diner, owned by Karin West, is located near the premises of The Country. She graciously opened the space for The Country to come back for a short time.
As five o’clock rolled around, more and more patrons of The Country arrived. Soon, the front patio of Lexington Diner was teeming with those who came to reminisce and reconnect.
It was a cacophony of laughter, shouts of “oh my god, it’s been forever since I’ve seen you!” The crowd was glowing with wide smiles and beer bottles flashing in the sun. Disco music played over the speakers, but this was drowned out by good conversation.
“There was a series of repeating moments,” Coleman recalled. “Women who had not seen each other in years, sometimes 40 years, [were] reconnecting, sharing stories, and revisiting memories. I loved how excited everyone was to be celebrating that space.”
The Country was only supposed to come back for one night, but Coleman and Sisko both said that there was interest in future events. As for the oral history project, Sisko says that there are definitely further plans for that project and the legacy of The Country.
As the sun set and the air (finally) cooled, a few of the original patrons remained, still talking with old friends. Though the bar no longer exists, one thing is certain: The Country had its day again, at last.